Our story will remain forever unfinished
by PastelYellow
Summary: Sokka had promised his sister a nice, relaxing camping trip. What he hadn't counted on was his roommate Zuko getting along a little too well with Katara. [One-shot, shameless pwp.]


**A/N: I've been away for too long, but here, have this AU one-shot!  
****Sadly I don't own the characters, or the show would have been extremely different.**

* * *

Katara laid on her back, her hands clasped over her stomach and her hair fanned out under her head, as she looked at the dark night sky. She traced the constellations with her eyes and tried hard to see the images within. How anyone could make a man out of a few far-apart dots, she'd never understand.

A cold gust of wind broke her concentration and Katara drew the edge of her sleeping bag up under her chin. She would kill Sokka once they came home.

Come camping with us, he'd said. We'll make s'mores, it will be fun, he'd said. It had been fun, Katara thought, up until nightfall when she had been kicked out of her own tent. She loved Suki, she really did, but her sex life with Sokka was one thing Katara didn't want to hear about. And by the way the couple had pawed at each other the entire night, sharing a tent with them didn't seem like the greatest idea. At least she had the fire to keep her somewhat warm.

A grumble on the other side of the flames caught her attention and she slowly turned toward the sound. One of Sokka's friends had crawled out of his tent and rubbed his eyes with the sole of his hands as he mumbled incoherently. He stretched his arms high above his head, his torso constricting and the muscles on his chest flexed with the movements. Katara couldn't stop her eyes as they roamed over his body.

The first time she met Sokka's roommate he had thrown the door to their condo open, angry at the constant banging of her fist as she tried to wake her brother. He had been shirtless then, just like now, and her throat had gone dry at the sight and her cheeks turned red as he caught her staring. She'd tried to avoid him ever since. But now here he was. Zuko.

He turned his head to look at her and Katara quickly closed her eyes and feigned sleep. If he knew she was awake he didn't say anything, but instead walked out of her line of sight, into the darkness of the forest surrounding them.

Katara let out a deep breath and flopped to lay on her back once more. Giggles cut through the silence, making her cringe as her brother's name left Suki's lips. If she closed her eyes and willed it away hard enough, maybe it would stop.

"At least you only have to hear it once."

The voice startled her and Katara sat up in search of the voice, only to be met by the amused smirk and golden eyes of Zuko. He stood on the other side of the fire, looking straight at her.

"One time is too many times", Katara said, a shudder of disgust rolling through her body as Sokka groaned at whatever Suki was doing to him.

"What are you doing out here anyway? Didn't you pack a tent?" Zuko asked through a yawn and dragged a hand through his messy hair.

"I did, but it's tainted now", she said, jerking her head toward where she was supposed to sleep.

"Damn", he chuckled.

The two fell into an awkward silence and Katara had to try her hardest not to let her gaze devour Zuko. But his skin looked like it glistened in the combined light of the flames and moon and his eyes so intense, even from a distance.

She tried so hard not to stare she didn't notice how he studied her hair as it fell over her shoulders in perfect waves and how he subconsciously licked his lips as his eyes found the dip of her collarbones.

"If you-", he cleared his throat nervously- "If you get cold or something, you could-I mean you could share my tent. If you want."

Katara's eyes met his in surprise but the images of her writhing underneath his naked body, digging her nails into his skin, made her snap her head away before he could see the lust in her eyes and the red on her cheeks.

"I think I'll be okay", she whispered, staring at the fire as she spoke, not daring to look at him.

"Oh, okay." He tried to hide the unexpected hurt he felt at the rejection and started back to his tent.

"I just meant," her voice stopped him halfway in, "I don't want to intrude, you don't have to offer because you feel like you have to."

"I know", he answered before disappearing through the tent. He didn't say he offered, not out of guilt or pressure, but because he cared, because he wanted to. He only left the entrance-way of the tent open, not zipping it up in hopes of Katara changing her mind.

The first time he met Sokka's sister she had banged on the door to the condo they shared and woken him up. He had slammed the door open in aggravation that quickly melted away as his eyes settled onto the tiny girl in front of him. Her hair wet and clinging to her face from being caught in the rain, her coat drenched and water dripping onto the apartment floor.

Outside Katara had laid back down, turned so she faced the fire and let its warmth and crackles lull her to sleep. Slowly, she drifted away, to images of a beach house she'd never visited and water, bluer and clearer than she'd ever seen before.

"Suki."

Her brothers moan snapped her out of the dream and she wanted to scream and kick in frustration. If the night hadn't been so cold, if she hadn't been dependant on the fire to keep warm, she would've moved far, far away from the campsite. But alas, the winds blew without mercy and the pitch black forest was anything but inviting.

Katara gave up as leaves caught in her hair and the sounds from her brother and his girlfriend only increased. She rolled up her sleeping bag and eyed the open entrance to Zuko's tent. Maybe, he'd fallen asleep. Maybe, she could sneak in and out before anyone noticed.

"Katara?"

No such luck.

"Hi", she offered meekly, crouched down on her haunches with the rolled up sleeping bag tucked under her arm.

"In or out?" he asked, leaning up on his elbows as he studied her embarrassed expression, "You're letting the warmth out."

"Oh, sorry." Katara crawled inside the tent and held tight to her sleeping bag as she avoided his eyes. Zuko sat up and slowly laid his hands on top of hers, mostly to ease her tension, but also to satisfy his own want to touch her. Her skin was soft.

Zuko's free hand lifted to the side of her head, picking at a leaf stuck in her hair, and Katara felt the back of her neck heat up, spreading to her cheeks, at his close proximity. He let his fingers play with a perfect curl and watched intently as it bounced back into form every time he released it. Finally, he dragged the leaf slowly out of it's imprisonment and holding it up between their faces, scrambling to find an excuse for the fondling and touches. "You had a leaf", he murmured awkwardly.

"So, uhm", Katara cleared her throat, disappointment creeping into her stomach as Zuko moved back farther into the tent. She missed the pink hue coloring his face and his teeth pulling at his bottom lip as she turned around to zip the tent up. "The wind was getting really cold."

"No worries", he said and held up his hand to stop her from continuing her excuse, "I offered, you took me up on it."

"I never thanked you, before I mean."

"You don't have to", he shrugged. Gratefulness was one of the things never present in his childhood and he never knew what to do with himself when someone thanked him now because of that.

"Well, thank you, anyway", Katara insisted and the tent fell silent, neither knowing how to progress. She still clung to her sleeping bag as if she was drowning and it, a buoy. He still couldn't keep his eyes off of her.

Without a word, Zuko scooched himself to the side, leaving space for Katara to lay her sleeping bag down. The tent wasn't big, and as she crawled inside her cocoon she could feel his breath on her skin and would've sworn he could hear her heart beat hard in her chest. His eyes were closed as she settled in, but they both knew he wasn't asleep.

"Goodnight", she whispered into the dark, almost afraid to move. Because if she moved, she'd touch him and she didn't know if she could resist to replace the accidental brush of skin with wandering hands and curious fingers.

"Goodnight, Katara", Zuko whispered back, his lips just barely missing her hair. She smelled like roses.

* * *

Chattering teeth and a shivering body woke him up. He'd only gotten an hour or so of sleep, but Katara's whimpers and huffs had made their way into his dreams, creating images that were anything but innocent, and awoken both his mind and body.

"Katara?" Zuko whispered into the dark and a grunt of reciprocation answered him. "Are you okay?"

"Yes", she insisted and Zuko smirked at the tremble in her voice that gave her cold away.

"Come here." He shifted inside his sleeping bag, struggling his arms free to instead wrap them around the brunette laying beside him. He tucked her head underneath his chin and rubbed warm hands over her back, making a point of angling his hips away; pressing your arousal against your roommates little sister is a sure way of getting your ass beaten.

Katara snuggled closer, breathing him in - he smelled musky, manly, like simmering firewood - and the shivering subsided somewhat. But even with the heat radiating off of Zuko's body, her toes felt like icicles and her back laid exposed to the cold forcing its way into the tent.

"You're still shivering", he pointed out, humor and concern dominating his voice.

"I'm fine." Agni, she was stubborn.

"Just… get in here", Zuko said, opening his sleeping bag - and arms - wide for her. It was a bad idea, he knew. Being so close to her was dangerous, especially with his cock already at high alert. But he couldn't let her freeze.

Katara rolled her bottom lip between her teeth and for a second Zuko thought she would reject the invitation. Then, slowly, she unzipped her own sleeping bag and shuffled closer to him, letting her arm wrap around his middle and her head rest on his chest. With a soft smile, he tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and hugged her close to him. She squirmed as she tried to get more comfortable, her body wriggling against him and her legs shifting, and they both froze in place as her thigh brushed against his erection.

"S-sorry", Katara managed to whisper apologetically, despite her body aching for more.

"No, uh", he cleared his throat, "I'm sorry."

The silence laid thick in the air, their heavy breaths the only sound within their private bubble, their own little oasis.

"Can I still stay?"

"W-what?" Zuko stuttered, crimson coloring his good cheek, up to the tip of his ear. He'd thought for sure she'd be running for the hills or at the very least put distance between them, crawl back to the other side of the tent and zip her sleeping bag up to act as a barrier. "You want to stay?"

"Nevermind", she sighed, feeling small and rejected, and planted her palms firmly on the ground to hoist herself up and away from their light embrace.

"No!" The panic in his voice stopped her. "I mean… you can stay… if you want." Feeling bold from Katara's red face and disappointed reaction to thinking she wasn't wanted, he traced her slender arm with curious fingers; the contact shooting electricity through his body, warmth pooling low in his stomach.

Katara's gaze followed his movements and couldn't help but hold her breath as he reached the dip of her collarbone, her eyes raising to study his face. He was slow, purposeful, as his fingers wandered over her skin.

"You'll stay?" Zuko asked quietly, barely loud enough to hear the words himself, without lifting his gaze from her neck. He saw her nod out of the corner of his eye.

"Sokka would kill us if he saw this", she snickered as she laid back down beside him, her head resting on his chest.

"Please don't talk about your brother right now", Zuko grunted. The last thing he wanted to think about when he had a beautiful woman in his arms was said woman's idiot brother. But as he felt himself soften and his arousal decrease, he knew the topic would allow him to calm down and avoid another awkward, accidental touch. "Wait, no, that could work."

"What could?"

"Just talk about Sokka. Okay?"

"Okay", she answered wearily, her brows drawn together at the odd request. "You know, I have to do all his laundry when he comes home to visit. I don't know how he does it, but his socks could easily clear a room within seconds."

"Tell me about it", Zuko huffed and rolled his eyes, "they could knock anyone out cold." Yep, he thought, this is working.

"Right?" Katara laughed.

"Have you ever seen him try to cook?" Zuko quirked an eyebrow and a throaty chuckle rumbled through him as she silently shook her head, the light touch of her hair as she moved tickling his sides. "I swear everything in the fridge was either in the dumpster or stirred together as some weird stew." His face scrunched up at the memory of dirty dishes piling on top of each other in the sink and the odd smell that took a week to air out. "He even left an empty pot on a hot stove plate."

"Good Gods." Katara's laugh vibrated through her body and into his, like he were an extension of her very being, and the feeling made his cock twitch awake again. If she felt it, she didn't say anything, and he didn't know if that was worse of better.

"Zuko?" she whispered, her voice so meek he just barely heard her.

"Yeah?"

She was quiet for a minute, biting her lips anxiously as she debated with herself. Kiss me, she wanted to say, but the words leaving her mouth as she nuzzled her face closer against his chest, breathing him in, were entirely more cowardice. "This is nice."

"It is", Zuko agreed, splaying a hand over her back. He moved slowly, as if he was afraid to startle her, but after a beat and an eternity, his free arm draped across her middle, holding her closer, reveling in the feeling of Katara in his arms.

She moved just as slowly, raising her head, his golden eyes following every movement. Carefully, her mouth searched for his in the dark, her lips just barely brushing his skin. Their breaths mingled and his hands gripped at her hips in anticipation.

Softly, so light to the touch he wasn't even sure it had really happened, her lips descended onto his. Then she was gone again. He wouldn't let her slip away. Not now.

Zuko captured her face between his hands and kissed her back, almost bruisingly hard, afraid that it was all a dream, that he would wake up alone and frustrated.

Katara lifted a leg to straddle his hips, her chest pressing against his, and moaned as his tongue sought hers out. Her hips rolled against his and he grabbed her thighs to stop the torturous movement.

"Don't do that", he groaned against her lips, his dull nails digging into her skin as she ground harder against him.

"Why?" He could hear the smirk in her voice clearly.

"If you don't, I might just take you right here, right now", he growled in her ear, breath washing over her skin, teeth nipping at the lobe.

"Would that be such a bad thing?" she mewled back, and if anything could've made Zuko harder, it was the want and lust in her voice right in that moment.

He flipped them over, pinning her arms above her head, and almost instinctively her legs wrapped around his hips and he had to stifle a moan from the warmth her center radiated. He thrust against her as his mouth descended onto hers, her lips warm and swollen, and his hands tightened around her wrists.

"I want to touch you", Katara murmured against his lips, her legs prompting his thrusts to go harder, faster.

"Agni, Katara."

"I need to touch you." He let her hands slip from his grip and he quickly found himself melting under her touch; she gripped at his shoulders, tugged at his hair, squeezed his ass. She was everywhere, everything.

She arched into his touch as he cupped her in a hand, rolling a nipple between his fingers, and she bit at her bottom lip to quiet her moans and whines down.

Zuko's lips found her neck, biting at the skin just above her collarbone before kissing the pain away, sucking at her pulse point lightly enough to not leave a mark but hard enough to draw a breathy moan from the woman underneath him.

Slender fingers wrapped around his cock, a groan rumbled through his throat and a wicked smirk tugged at Katara's lips. His lips sought hers out as she moved up and down his length, tightening and loosening her grip in a way that drove Zuko crazy, kissing her with all his might; slowly, hungrily, devouring her moans as he slipped a finger inside her heat.

A second digit was added, tugs grew more frantic, teeth knocked together in their haste to taste each other. She finished first, her cheeks flushing red, her eyelids dropping close despite her best efforts, her back arching from the ground and her free hand digging its nails into his hip. He wasn't close behind, with his forehead pressed against her shoulder, his breath hot on her skin and her name tumbling from his lips.


End file.
